


Worthy Foe

by xenoshadel



Category: Original Work
Genre: Apocalypse, Crossover, Cyberpunk, Futuristic, Gift Fic, Other, Science Fiction, Violence, foetp tbh, original - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-01
Updated: 2019-01-01
Packaged: 2019-10-02 00:01:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17253851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xenoshadel/pseuds/xenoshadel
Summary: Earth received an unexpected guest, but Tiergan has no intentions on staying any longer than he has to. While he finds a way to repair his ship, he comes across Melanie—someone who’s the exact opposite of him in ideals and yet the most similar in unusual enhancements. Not an ally in his book, but certainly a worthy foe . . .





	Worthy Foe

**Author's Note:**

> Melanie and Damon belong to me, Tiergan belongs to Krump [@krumparrian](https://twitter.com/krumparrian)!!

Bring life to an isolated area and one would assume it was always alive to begin with. Withered flowers and broken roads as far as the eye can see, but there was always a spot for a seed to harvest fruit for a wandering soul. Other areas seemed still—lifeless with the decay of the environment and metal hinges losing its grip before a building collapses. No wind, no sunlight to warm a cracked panel, but a flash of light ignited in the middle of the area. Life seemed to have resumed when a foreign ship appeared after another flash, though crashing headfirst into an unsteady skyscraper and tumbling with it.

No audience to witness the grand fall, save for the audience that had already fallen before its time.

Cracking glass and alarms sounded within the ship until another light flashed and all fell silent. Perhaps the pilot was foolish about ignoring the safety of a seatbelt, but his breathing remained steady. Head against the control panel, eyes closed, and his pulse slowly picking up with each passing moment.

People often told him those who reach for the light will see glory. Tiergan furrowed his brows, forcing his body to twitch. He knew of the light people saw before their soul reaches death—he saw it all the time from those that got in his way. But to see the light in his mind?

_No… Could this be an effect from S’Akriat?_

Tiergan glared at the light, running a hand over his face as it drew closer. His pulse quickened and the light dimmed, sensation returning to his body when he was able to clench a fist. No light, no other world to would welcome him—it was too soon for him to touch that light, after all.

Tiergan was able to smile at the thought. The light retreating, blood coursing through his veins, and a red eye opened first. Processing the room, Tiergan carefully stood up, joints cracking as he shook himself but no injury noted. The power was shut down and while the generator could be rebooted, much of the exterior parts broke off when he landed and he won’t be able to travel back without them in place.

Tiergan grimaced. _How annoying_. The cracked glass didn’t give him a clear picture of his whereabouts, and upon opening the grand door to the outside?

He paused when he took in his surroundings. Well, it certainly wasn't Voliterra. The land held buildings that either kept most of its framework and features or skeletons left behind from structures that once stood proud. Little greenery or any other color could be caught, save for the grays and blacks of rusting parts or vehicles long abandoned. A deep breath with his mask and the air was far from toxic. No active pollution, the land just appeared very . . . dead.

How dull to crash into such a decaying world. While the ship was Tiergan’s highest priority, knowing the extent of his powers will set his fate. Boots crunched over broken glass when he found a spot to commence a ritual, drawing a circle and keeping his voice low as he prayed. A warm sensation resonated within him when he felt the presence of a daemon, and the feeling grew heavier as he kept his concentration. The feeling didn’t last long when a sudden sting struck his chest and Tiergan exhaled sharply, quickly ending the ritual with a murmur. He touched his chest, seething at the inconvenience of having limited powers in this dimension. A happy growl from one of the daemons behind him and he glanced at it. Three awaited for his command, their single eyes fixated on him with such devotion, such loyalty that it almost amused him at how such dim-witted creatures could follow his command without a second thought.

But they understood their master well, and they will have to do for now if they’re truly the extent of his powers. A sharp order to scout for any supplies that could be used to fix his ship or other means to travel back in one piece, and only the skeletons of the city remained with Tiergan. He looked around, bored at the desolate setting, and figured if the city was once alive, their creators must be near. A red eye caught a helmet on the ground, the size and material possibly human with its dull build, and he kicked it out of the way. Tiergan would’ve assumed he landed in a period that didn’t advance, or could barely _touch_ , the technology of his time but something else caught his eye when he also kicked at it. A black and white being, all mechanical with wires spilled from the cut torso and neck, and soulless eyes staring back at him when he located the head.

“Cyborgs? Guess this shit dump isn’t hopeless after all,” Tiergan grunted. He might be impressed if the being was alive and he could witness its functions, though he was curious of the silver drop by the eye socket that he could not identify. Maybe it wasn’t significant, and he carried on with his trek.

The sooner he found some parts, the better. It wouldn’t be as fun if he experimented here with limited powers, and from what he’d seen so far, what’s the worst that could happen in a dying world?

***

Those drawing closer to death may have a chance at salvation if given the opportunity, or those who were optimists would say. Melanie liked the comfort of the thought. If there were still some vegetation struggling to the surface, if refugees had the will to live, there was a way to bring life in such a gray world. Not like it was ever black and white, but she had seen more gray and silver than she would’ve liked.

A silver eye looked around for any signs of life, friend or foe, and all remained quiet save for the phone vibrating on her hip. The area remained clear and she pulled up the phone, clicking a button to activate a holographic screen and reveal a familiar face.

“Heyya Mel!”

“You don’t usually call at this time, Damon. Is it important?”

“Everything is always important, whether it’s lunch or skargh action,” Damon laughed. “But get this! There’s a new baddie in town and he looks like _fun_!”

“…Fun? Seriously now?”

“Honestly I’m jealous of you for getting the sweet deal. I don’t know if this is one of Ensio’s guys and he let the element of surprise run away from him, but _if_ it’s his guy, he’s dangerous. We don’t know what is up with him, but anything out of foreign material needs to be scrapped pronto. Borderline of Division 5A, right outside the ol’ central plaza you’re at.”

Melanie narrowed her eyes. “Got it. Has anyone confronted him?”

“One group thought about it but then a skargh found the subject instead and, well. How he handled it kinda said everything about him. And since you’re not too far from him, we can reserve that group for back up if needed. Which… you probably don’t need but hey in case you get annoyed with him or something.”

Even with the holographic screen, Damon’s smile remained broad, save for a little shift in his eyes when he lowered his voice. “And Mel, well. I don’t need to say this but because you’re throwing punches first, be careful out there.”

Albeit still pertaining a teasing tone, Melanie smiled at the hint of concern. “Sure thing. I’ll bring you a souvenir too.”

A laugh and a final click to close the screen, and silence welcomed her again. Death made the same sound, though the atmosphere had yet to feel cold when she began her trek. No other sources of life sprung from abandoned vehicles or rusting helmets, minus the leaves holding a green color when they flew with the wind.

Another turn east and the division will be an easy run for her, but something felt off when Melanie walked past a broken lamp post. She didn’t remember seeing it smashed when she traveled past it a few hours ago, and while she didn’t detect another being with Eva . . . something else was alive around her.

Fingers curled, silver eye readjusting itself, and just when she heard the faint sound of another heartbeat . . .

 . . .

A bloodcurdling scream from behind her and Melanie turned around, eyes widening in surprise. A foreign daemon snapped its mouth at her and revealed rows of sharp teeth. She watched it approach her, readying her knife, but something about it felt different to her. Its speed when it lunged towards her throat, its strength when she knocked it to the ground but it jumped back up without hesitation, and the way its eye focused on her?

Such evil within a being of black; Melanie almost wished for it to have even a drop of Eva if that meant _some_ sign of purity. She couldn’t dwell on it when the daemon smashed its head against her side and bowled her down, her knife dropping from the impact. Claws scratched her jacket and Melanie grabbed its mouth to push back while it tried to resist and snap its mouth on her face. She hooked her fingers around its chin and upper mouth, the sounds of its jaw popping as she forced its mouth to separate. She held her breath when the sides of its mouth tore and still the daemon tried to fight through, until it released a shrill cry after a sharp _snap_ of its jaw breaking under Melanie’s hold.

Melanie rolled away to relocate her knife and a few moments were all she needed when the daemon leaped onto her again but could never touch her when the knife found its chest. Melanie sighed, using her strength to push its body away from her before sitting up to catch her breath. The daemon’s body twitched and even the blood oozing out of its chest didn’t look natural, but that was the least of it when it dispersed into black particles. Like a swarm of flies circling around before ultimately disappearing as though nothing had ever happened, save for the scratches on her jacket to say otherwise.

“Well that wasn’t nice.”

Melanie narrowed her eyes at the foreign voice. Cold and low, thick with disgust and a presence radiated a malignant energy. She turned around, crossing her arms. “If I had known it was a pet, I would’ve spared its life instead.”

Tiergan was more amused at how someone with a simple stature could best his daemon. A breeze pushed her hair out of the way to reveal different colored eyes, and a collection of scars sketched on her neck and arms. The metal of her leg armor matched the helmet he saw earlier and even bits of the armor were on the shoulders of her leather jacket. He guessed recycling was another practice in the decaying world, as futile as it would be when there were little to grab resources from.

“Says someone who barely had her life spared from the looks of your scars. Clumsy much? Or does the devil like playing around before biting for the kill?”

It was the green eye that twitched while the silver eye held its focus on him. The sound of a heartbeat and any other inconveniences an ordinary human had were all sensed from her, and Tiergan remembered the silver drop he saw from the cyborg’s head. Even the cyborg he cut down earlier spilled out a silver interior, and his eyes shined when he put two and two together.

“So you’re a freak show too, eh? Not bad in that case.”

“You can say that, but you’re a foreigner here unless you work under Ensio?” Melanie asked coolly.

Tiergan blanked at that. “I crashed into this shit hole and want nothing more but to get the fuck out of here. _No one_ will get in my way, unless you have the materials I need to fix my ship but I think it’ll be faster to dispose of you.”

Melanie raised an eyebrow. She hadn’t heard of a report regarding a ship, but it seemed more plausible. While an altered being, not a trace of Eva circulated within him nor did his right eye switch to a silver color during their interaction. It was a relief to hear Ensio wasn’t involved, but he remained a problem and a potential threat if he can dispose skarghs easily.

She tensed, her hand reaching for the knife on her hip. “I could help you if you’re willing to comply, and I still can.”

“And you can’t expect me to sit on my knees to someone who killed my daemon with her bare hands.”

Perhaps they surprised each other, and Tiergan enjoyed the rare experience of encountering someone with a decent first impression. So far she was passing her interview, but it quickly vexed him with how quick she moved at her first move. It looked unnatural, how she parried his knife and was able to push his hand back with her own force. For a little girl with straps of metal on her, she had a feisty hit to her. Yet her face foretold nothing as she fought while Tiergan’s glare gleamed not just in exasperation, but almost in delight at her capabilities. _Finally_ someone offered him a challenge, though his limited abilities might be the reason too.

Melanie wasn’t able to land a successful hit on him, but neither was he. A fist that should’ve landed on her face met nothing but air when she ducked and swung her knife at him. Odd patterns of scratches on his coat were the most Tiergan received, but to see only strands of her hair cut from his knife rather than her skin? To have _yet_ to add scars to her own collection?

The fight caught him off guard, not just with the duration but how persistent she was at not backing down. Tiergan grew annoyed at the thought of daylight slipping away when he could be scavenging for materials. A red eye calculated the right time to land a successful kick at her side, the force grand enough to send her flying back and crashing against a lamp post with a dull thud.

“You’re wasting my time. Why are you even fighting?” Tiergan scoffed.

He paused, watching the slow turn of her head when Melanie picked herself up. The lamp post bent at an obscure angle from where she struck it but she walked towards him like he hadn’t touched her. All sense of emotions drained from her face into a neutral look, and while Tiergan was curious about the silver shine of her right eye, an eyebrow raised when _both_ eyes held a silver color.

A twitch of a finger as she replied: “Because you are… a _threat_.”

A second to analyze him, which was a generous amount when she ran towards him at an enhanced speed. Quicker movements and a powerful force to her hits, and Tiergan would’ve rolled his eyes at yet another inconvenience. More effort to dodge and _try_ to make a mark on her, and the silver shine of her eyes felt different when he thought about it. More focused, more confident, almost like something else was building up in the puny body of flesh and blood. He brushed the thought away when he felt his knee buckle after Melanie kicked him and he took the moment to swing his right hand at her, only to have it stopped with a harsh _smack_! when she caught it in her hand. Melanie twisted around him and her knife would’ve found his side if he didn’t jerk around and forced his leg to move, but the blade cut deep into his left hand.

Tiergan hissed within his mask to bite down the stinging pain, and by then he contemplated taking his own extreme measure. He reached for his handgun while dodging Melanie’s hits, calculating the right moment to make the perfect shot. He swung forward with his knife for her to evade and jumped back to pull the trigger.

A piercing sound of the bullet taking a bite of flesh, oh how he missed hearing it. The bullet grazed Melanie’s skin and she widened her eyes at the burning sensation. She jumped back with enough distance to take a moment to touch her cheek.

“...I felt that.”

“ _No shit_ you did,” Tiergan snapped. “And you’ll be lucky to experience it again if you stop prancing about like that!”

“No…"

To feel pain on her body, even after the number of scars she acquired, was a foreign feeling. A sensation she thought she would forget, and now to feel it on her skin?

She narrowed her eyes. “It was a feeling I didn’t want to experience from the likes of _you_.”

Tiergan grinned at the growl in her voice. “About time you showed some emotion.”

He caught a sliver of green trying to break through in her left eye, probably the human part of her—or whatever that could mean—if Tiergan had to guess. Her movements remained calculated but with a different power, almost like she expressed anger for the first time. Even if all they were doing were putting dents in each other and kicking dust in the air, to finally make his own dent made the experience satisfying again, though the feeling quickly vanished at the thought of having to put in effort in the fight.

Tiergan wasn’t sure if his mind was playing tricks on him or not, but he could’ve sworn he saw a shiny scar surfacing just below Melanie’s jaw. It matched the others of her collection and it stopped growing when her left eye held a little more green than silver. A freak show indeed in his eyes, but her performance was still impressive with how much of a fight she put up.

It didn’t last long when Melanie stiffened, both eyes flashing, almost blinding Tiergan when she looked around them. “Wait. A… scin is coming.”

Tiergan clicked his tongue and took advantage of the distraction, his knife swinging towards her. “Not my fucking problem.”

In a heartbeat Melanie grabbed his arm, her eyes frantically looking around them. “While you’re enough of a problem, we have a bigger problem now.”

“I’m not here for competition! Just to get the hell out of here and you out of my way!” Tiergan snarled. He resisted her hold on him and reached for his handgun with his free hand.

“You’re not listening!”

Years of knifeplay trained her hands to twirl around by instinct. Melanie grabbed the butt of the handgun and smacked his jaw with it. “If I’m able to kick your ass and act worried about the scin, then you should be worried too if that means never getting out of here.”

 _That_ caught his attention. He narrowed his eyes. “So what? We hold hands and act buddy buddy now?”

“If you want to put it that way, but we need to work together for both our sakes. Once it’s taken care of, your problem can be fixed too.”

A cold stare from one green eye meeting the disgust of a matching eye, and as much as he’d like to properly finish the fight, maybe she had a point—as close as he was to beating her to a pulp. Tiergan pursed his lips. “Fine. _Fine_. That was just a warmup anyway, and it shouldn’t last long with the… skin?”

“No, _scin_. Like”—Melanie paused, gesturing behind him—“a robotic being without human organs, to put it.”

A rumble in the distance and Tiergan turned around. A bulky build of silver and black metal glimmering as it made its way towards them. A red eye processing its structure: tall enough to knock an oak tree down, heavy enough to imprint the ground it walked on. Silver eyes seemed to have caught his look and they flashed suddenly. Claws replaced the fingers on the being and wires connected from the neck to the torso. Tiergan figured it was part of its life source, and surely . . . it was an easy threat?

“Uh-huh.” Tiergan stared blankly at it, unimpressed. “You do realize who you’re talking to. What tin can of yours is supposed to make me turn hightail?”

Soulless eyes observed them from a body without a soul. The scin paused, lifted a building that still held its frame intact, and hurled it towards them. A raise of an eyebrow when Tiergan calculated its force and Melanie grabbed his arm to drag him away. Her speed caught him off guard and he was sure she would’ve carried him if they didn’t have to jump over debris.

She probably would have once the building made its mark on the spot they stood at moments ago. The impact shook the whole area and they both jumped along with the building frames. Another skyscraper tumbled down from the disturbance and silver eyes flashed from the scin as it made its way towards them.

Tiergan snatched his arm away from Melanie. “How disgusting. You’re the hero type too, huh?”

“If that includes saving people with their heads too far up their ass, then yes.” Melanie glared at him. “I wouldn’t mind destroying the both of you if that’ll be an issue.”

“ _Bitch,_  you don’t know what you’re saying,” Tiergan hissed. “There’s no such thing as heroes or people who claim to do holy work, okay? If you want to be on my tolerating side, _don’t_ give yourself that title.”

Melanie watched how he spat out the last word, biting down a retort lest she wanted to test the limits of her energy. She had faith the Eva will keep her well, but while he also had blood in his body, there was no reason to bury another body in the earth. It wouldn’t do the earth well to contaminate it, after all.

Pieces holding onto the structures they attached from threatened to fall as the scin drew closer, the impact of its footsteps growing stronger and its speed picking up. Tiergan sighed heavily, rolling his neck from side and side. It didn’t surprise him that Melanie made the first move when the scin attempted to lash out at them, its claws caressing her hair when she jumped backward. While it remained turned towards Tiergan, she gripped her knife and twisted around its body to stab behind its knee. A black plate of armor scrapped off and the scin faltered, but the distraction triggered another flash of silver from its eyes.

Another claw missed Tiergan by a margin and it refocused back to Melanie. Perhaps it was thanks to the fight with Tiergan that triggering the Eva won’t be an issue with how it coursed in her veins. Her movements remained smooth as she dodged and sharp as she struck, her mind and body in equilibrium, and as for her . . . well, it’d be embarrassing to call him an ally, temporary or not.

But he fared well, even while ignoring the injury on his hand and maintaining his own rhythm. Not smooth, not sharp, but rather calculated and destructive when his red eye flashed brightly. Tiergan’s knife chipped away at the scin, dodging and parrying with ease whenever it focused on him. If this was meant to be advanced technology in this world, he might be impressed at its material and intelligence. The scin learned his movements quickly and even with Melanie taking its attention for a few moments, mere dents on its surface and bits of fallen armor were the most they saw from their efforts.

Tiergan grew annoyed at the amount of time that passed. He’d hate to use his handgun when its life source was just near his reach, and while Melanie also had yet to access it or completely immobilize the scin, his patience ran thin when he noticed the time of day. Another waste of time, another inconvenience with his limitations.

“Ah fuck it. It’d be a disgrace to die here,” Tiergan growled, lunging forward to take a leap towards the scin and latched onto its back.

He climbed up until the wires of its neck were within his reach and kept his hold while it twisted and tried to shake him off. Thanks to its bulky build, its struggle gave Tiergan enough time for his mask to open up and reveal a jaw with rows of jagged teeth. Teeth fitting of a monstrous predator than a human or ordinary beast, slicked with a black film that stuck to the scin when Tiergan leaned towards the wires.

Melanie paused, watching how the mask chopped away at the material with little difficulty. Perhaps his technology had more of the upper hand than what she was used to if he can take down a scin of fine material. Silver liquid splashed at his face and streamed down his clothes, a high-pitched alarm sounding from the scin when the wires snapped apart and its eyes shined brightly. It leaned on its bad leg and gravity played well when it started to topple down. Tiergan struggled to find the right momentum to jump and rolled on the ground once he landed.

A deafening thud when the scin made its impact, causing them to jump along with any other broken part around them. Silver liquid spilled out from the wires of the scin, consciously collecting and pooling together to bury into the earth. Another empty shell to add onto the growing collection around them, another grave without a proper burial, and Tiergan took his time to straighten his posture. Not a spot of silver on him, perhaps at the thought the Eva would want to run as quickly as it can from someone like him, and he cursed under his breath when he felt the strain on his body.

Tiergan tilted his head up for his mask to shape itself back to normal. He glanced at Melanie, narrowing his eyes. “What?”

Melanie hesitated. “I would ask about your appetite but…”

“Hey, that wasn’t a kid’s toy. This is technology _leagues_ above the shit you’re using,” Tiergan spat. “Now what? We took care of… whatever that was. What about my ship?”

“Are you still willing to comply?”

“If I haven’t, we wouldn’t have made it this far and you wouldn’t be standing upright, freak show. I just want to get out of here. Stat.”

Melanie narrowed her eyes. The sooner he was gone, truly, the better it would be for everyone. Maybe the engineers had the parts he needed for his ship, and depending on its material, maybe the Eva could be of some help too. Maybe they’ll both discover something new. Melanie pulled up her phone, waiting for the screen to flash until she saw Damon’s face.

“Mel!! You lived! Well of course you did, but nice!” Damon cheered.

“Ensio’s scin interfered with our subject, but he is now on... compliant terms,” Melanie explained. Tiergan scoffed under his breath behind her.

“Eh? New baddie is compliant now? Well, one way or another, people learn to be your friend. So now what?”

“Get in contact with Adrian and the others to form a team. Tiergan has a ship he used but somehow ended up in our realm, so we’ll help him out with our resources.”

“Aw, how sweet of ya. Sending the baddie home is better than jail! Sure thing. I’ll see you in a bit!”

Tiergan watched the screen disappear and rolled his eyes. “What ancient age are we in anyway to be using those? Explains the way things look here. Maybe that’s why this lot is piling into shit.”

Melanie kept silent, knowing that saying nothing will annoy him more than refusing him to say the last word. Having the few minutes of crunching boots on gravel and broken parts to herself satisfied her, and Tiergan must’ve sensed it when he also kept silent save for the crude comment about the environment around them.

To think that people were still living in this sort of condition, Tiergan had thought to himself. Yet he had nearly forgotten the time he was within death’s reach and how a sliver of salvation was enough to rejuvenate him and make him the man he is today. Hope is such a . . . comical concept, as far as life is concerned.

Had S’Akriat been in his veins . . . things would surely be different. More pleasant as far as reaching beyond his limitations went, and if he really wanted to amuse himself, this world could be twisted to fit his ideal vision. Broken, dusty buildings truly torn down, the ground black with dried blood, and maybe that silver liquid could be tested if he was really curious about it. Somehow it had a unique feature, unless Melanie happened to be a special case?

No matter of it when Melanie pointed towards the large gates indicating the entrance of one of her divisions. Unlike the outside environment, buildings kept much of their framework and life bustled within the walls. It was an entire colony with the many people going about their way and vehicles moving to and fro around them, save for the crowd of people who parted a path once they saw Melanie. The thought of her popularity amused Tiergan, and he wished he had enough arsenal to take care of those who stared at him in distaste as they walked.

“Melanie!”

Tiergan watched a man run towards Melanie, donning a green jacket instead of black and similar leg armor as hers, and pull her in for a hug. She returned the gesture with a smile, and Tiergan never would’ve thought she had the facial muscles for it with how they interacted earlier. It was an . . . odd sight to see from her after figuring out the bits and pieces of what she’s capable of.

“So this is not-Ensio’s guy? Welcome aboard! I’m Damon!”

Again with that name. Tiergan glared at him. “If this is one of the gods of this world—”

“Gods? Nah, unless he thinks of himself as one but no gods here!” Damon looked up at the sky, a hand up to shield his eyes from the sun. “At least, not that I know of. It’s been quiet since the whole ‘saving the world’ thing started a while back.”

“I… see.”

Damon flashed a smile. “Say, we relocated your fancy ship over here via teleporter to fix it up easier. So far we’re getting along but if you head north of here, you can take a look for yourself if you’re curious.”

Tiergan raised an eyebrow. He let go of a crude comment on the technology they used and pushed past Melanie, almost in enthusiasm when he thought about how close he was to _finally_ go back to his world.

Melanie watched him go, hoping that if he did find the group of engineers, he won’t terrorize them with his threats. Although that could be wishful thinking at this point. “How long will the repairs take?” she asked.

“Not as long as we think it will. Honestly the engineers can’t stop talking about the material. They even compared it to Ensio’s treasure trove!”

“From what I’ve sensed and witnessed, his realm is different from ours. Proficient in technology but a dark matter also exists within him, or so that I can pick up from him.”

“Ah, aliens. Got it,” Damon chuckled. “I mean, maybe if you smack him around enough times he could make a resourceful ally.”

Melanie frowned. “He could be helpful but he is not a hero, that much I know about him.”

“So no checkmark of approval then? Even with all the bruises you got from him, yeesh.” Damon winced when he looked at her jaw. “Oh… must’ve been a hell of a time then.”

Not that she would give him a checkmark to begin with. They say to keep your friends close and your enemies closer, but neither applied to Tiergan nor will it ever with anyone he encountered. They made their way towards the ship’s construction, and while its owner gave it a menacing atmosphere, how it slowly repaired itself made a fascinating sight to witness.

Hovercrafts carried broken pieces to fuse back into place, the ship remained afloat over a shiny portal, and groups of people worked together with cheers and orders shouting across the area. Even the mechaloids were brought out to fly to the higher points of the ship to keep the external parts in place until their repairs completed. Tiergan stood at a long distance away, running through his head if the ship will manage with this world’s resources. Granted it’ll be worth a shot, though he’d hate for his ship to malfunction at any time thanks to . . . _them_.

Tiergan crossed his arms at another thought. He had nearly forgotten about his daemons; one destroyed by Melanie, another ripped apart by a wandering skargh that he overheard, and the third . . .

Tiergan caught Damon’s presence behind him, who sported a cheeky smile. “Looking for your pet? I figured it might be yours!”

“Wha—?”

Tiergan didn’t have to finish his sentence when he heard a familiar screech. The missing daemon charged forward and, to everyone’s surprise, nuzzled its head against Damon. Melanie raised an eyebrow while Damon laughed and patted its head.

“This guy was a feisty one but wasn’t too bad to get ahold of after a few zaps here and there. If you don’t want him, I’ll keep him!”

“Absolutely _not_ , Damon,” Melanie sighed. “I don’t care what it can do, we’re not keeping it.”

Damon pouted, scratching the daemon’s head. “Aww fine, boss. I’ll miss you, mate.”

Tiergan wasn’t sure if he should intervene or not, but it would be useless to keep a daemon in his ship when he could summon it anytime. So he walked forward and pierced its eye with his knife, clamping its mouth shut to keep its screech from escaping as the rest of its body dissipated into back particles.

Damon raised a hand at where the daemon once stood, pulling a smile to express a note of grief. Melanie shook her head at the gesture and walked away to check closer on the ship’s construction. Rather than following her, Damon stepped towards Tiergan and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Y’know, if you ever decide to stop by again, maybe bring more of a crowd next time. It gets boring when all ya got are tin cans to kick around every now and then.”

"I am not here to make friends, let alone with people in this shithole.” Tiergan turned to glare at him. “Don’t think that me not ripping your arm off is a little truce between us, okay? This is the last you’ll see of me.” He waited for Damon to take his hand off his shoulder, but he left it there for a few long moments before casually stepping away.

“Naomi 2.0 with testosterone. Got it,” Damon chuckled. “I’ll make a business card for you then!”

Tiergan watched him walk away, catching a flash of silver eyes from a—what was it called, _skargh_?—metallic head within the crowd before it disappeared. He blinked once, twice, and exhaled heavily. As easy as it would be to wipe away those who kept an eye on him, or had the potential to annoy him, it would be a waste of energy. A red eye calculated where Melanie stood, and he remembered where he hid his knife should anyone decide to play games with him—the supposed heroine included.

The ship seemed to pulsate when Tiergan caught trickles of silver traveling around the exterior, holding onto the broken pieces like glue before fusing them into place. Truthfully, it felt a little claustrophobic to watch and be around so many people at once. And to see _teamwork_? Groups of pathetic humans working together under a single cause? He had forgotten what it was like to be associated with such people, excluding those he worked with strictly for business and to later be eradicated.

It seemed easier that way, playing the lone wolf role, especially when he knew how to bite. And for those who also knew?

Tiergan stood next to Melanie, and silently they both agreed there was nothing to say. Tiergan found little point in gratitude and he figured Melanie would rather skin him than acknowledge her act of . . . could he call it kindness? Just the thought of the word nearly made him vomit, so he forced himself to concentrate on the ship instead. The rate of its recovery relieved him, and it was only a matter of minutes until he sensed all was in proper order.

To think he could travel back to his world again. Tiergan would’ve laughed if he regained his energy sooner, and he caught an engineer waving for his attention. She ran to him with a progress report about the ship, practically bouncing on her feet when she went on a tangent about how well the Eva worked on the interior.

Tiergan cut her off with a glare. “I know my ship, not _you_ even when you think you do after spending some quality time with it. If you’re done touching it, then get out of the fucking way so that I can leave,” he said, stressing an edge in his voice.

The engineer looked shocked and glanced between him and Melanie, who gave her an apologetic nod as a sign to let him be. She ran away as soon as she turned around, and Tiergan kept his glare when he made his way towards the entrance of his ship. All was indeed in proper order when the crowd parted a way for him to head through, and the door opened—not as smoothly as usual, but Tiergan didn’t care when he traveled up the ramp and felt freedom near his reach. He pressed a button on the side, ignoring the cheers behind him from those who witnessed and had such high thoughts for him. It was a shame he couldn’t laugh at their faces, let alone use the ship’s remaining fuel to permanently wipe their smiles away. Well, maybe except for one who refused to smile.

Tiergan stole a look back to find Melanie, a glare against a stare though with the promise of another duel, another time to lay out their talents for one of them to ultimately conquer. But they understood one thing about each other:

They were altered beings crafted for destruction. Predators who saw each other as prey, one with the malicious intent to shred the other to death while one seeks for a clean and cold means of elimination. Destroy the target or kill the prey, and let the strong survive.

Whoever that may be, but that is a thought for the future should their paths cross again. Tiergan sat back at the control panel, glancing down at the cut on his hand. A silver lining can only last for so long, whichever direction their heart pointed to. But for a heart covered in shadows? Silver was only a foreign color to him.

**Author's Note:**

> An original work on this site? From me?? It was only a matter of time lmao BUT I wanted to gradually build up my OCs and down the road introduce them to everyone, and starting off with crossover fics to show you guys what's also up my alley is one way to do it! Not to mention a way to end the year :D hope you guys enjoyed it and thanks for the read!! One day you'll know more about Melanie!!!


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